Onam Festival in India

Onam is the biggest festival in Kerala. celebrated on a particular day in August or September. Onam is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, a legendary ruler of Kerala, who was renowned for the justice and benevolence. People buy new clothes and exchange gifts. Houses are cleaned and beautiful flower carpets and decorations are made at the entrances of houses and in courtyards.

Traditional oil lamps are lit in the courtyard and women dressed in traditional saris dance around a lamp. The main event on Onam day is a grand feast at lunchtime, called sadya. Snake Boat races, Kathakali and Mohiniattam dance recitals and musical performances are also essential parts of Onam.

In Kerala, people go simply crazy over the state festival of Onam where ten days of feasting, boat race, song, dance and merriment mark the occasion. The festivity recalls the sacrifice of the great King for his people. Onam welcomes the spirit of the great King and is an assurance to him that all his subjects are well. The festival of Onam is shrouded in tales of mythology. It is said that Gods conspired to end the reign of the good king Mahabali and sent Vishnu in the guise of a dwarf.

The king however won in the test that Lord Vishnu put him through. Before going away into hell, the King managed to secure from the Lord a boon that he will be able to visit his subjects ones every year. Thus Onam is celebrated every year to mark the home coming of the popular king.

The festival is a pretty colorful one. Women spread out flower carpets in front of the house to welcome the vanquished king. Traditional rituals are performed but the most important part of the celebration is the lavish feast. The sumptuous home cooked food is shared with family members and friends. This is the time for people to revive lost connections. People visit houses of relatives and friends and exchange pleasantries.

Onam has some spectacle that can only be seen if you come to Kerala. The parades of caparisoned elephants, fireworks and Kathakali dance are associated with Onam. The beauty of the place is ever more glorified in the light of the festivity and no wonder the place looks in every way "Gods Own Country".